


In These Arms (Epilogue) - Part Two

by mrpicard



Series: Star Trek: TNG - In These Arms (Epilogue) [2]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies)
Genre: Biology, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Issues, Family Secrets, M/M, Picard family, School, archeology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-12 22:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10500732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: Laurent asks a fundamental question whose answer is not as simple as he thinks it is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This part is set about four years after the previous one.

"Today I have something really special for you," Miss Gelo said and pointed at the short, bearded man who was standing next to her in front of the class. "This is Dr. Ford. He's an archeologist at the University of Vulcan, and we're very happy that his faculty has agreed to a brief cooperation with the Embassy School. Today he'll give you a short introduction into his subject, and tomorrow he'll take you with him to one of the biggest excavation sites on this side of the planet, where you'll be looking over his shoulder-  and also do a little work yourselves."

She glanced at Ford, who cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Thank you, Miss Gelo." He looked at the children. "Hello, everyone. As Miss Gelo has just explained to you, I'm an archeologist. Does anyone know what exactly that is?"

Laurent raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"It's someone who studies ancient ruins and artifacts."

"Very good," Ford beamed. "How did you know?"

"One of my fathers collects artifacts and always reads the latest archeology publications."

"That's commendable," Ford said and looked at the rest of the class. "Does anyone else have parents who are interested in artifacts?"

Quite a few hands went up and Ford looked at Miss Gelo and then smiled. "I don't think there will be any problems here."

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"No, that's not how Mrs. Fisher said it's done as far as humans are concerned," Sarok said sternly and looked at Laurent, who was sitting on his sleeping bag across the small room that usually served as Sarok's meditation chamber.

"But how else then?" Laurent asked. "I mean I'm here, it had to be done in _some_ way."

"Are you sure you're not adopted?"

"I'm sure. When I was little they had to cure a disease that only male Picards get when they're young." Laurent rubbed his nose. "I remember Papa Jean-Luc saying he and I had to get some blood tests done, and Dr. Pulaski then said his blood would cure me way before I even get that disease. He _is_ my father."

"Then maybe your Papa Jean-Luc had you with a human woman and your Papa Alex adopted you?"

Laurent shook his head. "I don't think so. Papa Alex showed me pictures of himself from when he was young - he looked a lot like I do."

"This is a very odd situation - I find it strange that you never asked your parents about this before."

"I didn't think I'd have to. I didn't know that two human men can't have babies together."

"They _can_ ," Sarok argued. "You heard what Mrs. Fisher explained in biology class today."

"Yes, but the first time the procedure was finally successful was seven years ago. I'll be eleven soon. It doesn't add up."

"Maybe your parents were part of some kind of prototype experiment?"

"I was born on the Enterprise. Mrs. Fisher said all research was done on Earth."

Sarok crawled into his sleeping bag and adjusted the pillow. "I must point out that the most logical course of action here is still to simply ask your parents."

Laurent sighed. "Even if they weren't on that diplomatic first contact mission at the moment and even if I could ask them, I don't think they'd tell me."

Sarok frowned. "Why not?"

"They don't tell me everything - remember how I only found out about Papa Jean-Luc having been a Borg when we had the Battle of Wolf 359 in class last year?"

"I remember," Sarok confirmed. "You were very angry at your parents for never telling you."

"Everyone was staring at me like as if I was some kind of monster," Laurent said bitterly. "And no one believed me that I'd never heard a word about it."

"It's a human characteristic to try and shield children from bad memories. Your parents were acting in a very typical way."

"What if the story of where I come from is a bad one, too?"

"It's illogical to prolong this kind of speculation in this manner," Sarok remarked. "Is there anyone other than your parents who might know the answer you're seeking?"

Laurent looked up. "Hmm... maybe Aunt Marie or Grandma..."

"You can call them both tomorrow evening if you wish - my parents won't be home before midnight, we'll have the house to ourselves all evening."

"Thanks, Sarok."


	3. Chapter 3

"Dr. Ford, am I doing this right?"

Ford turned around in his chair and looked at Laurent, who was kneeling on the sandy surface of the excavation site, holding a paintbrush with which he was carefully working on a small vase that was stuck halfway in the ground. "Yes, you're doing fine."

Laurent smiled but did not look away from the vase.

"You know, you're very good at this," Ford remarked.

Laurent beamed - but still remained focused on the vase. "I like it."

"I can see that," Ford chuckled. "Say... weren't you the one with the father who's interested in archeology?"

"Yes, sir."

Ford looked at his notes and then back at his guest. "What's your name?"

"Laurent."

"Laurent what?"

The boy's face darkened ever-so-slightly. "Laurent... Picard."

' _I was right- the resemblance is really striking_ ,' Ford thought, put his notes away and focused his entire attention on the boy. "I asked the wrong question, didn't I?"

Laurent finally stopped what he was doing and looked up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"It's alright, I understand that you have your reasons for trying to keep your last name a secret - it's not easy to have such a famous father. However, in this case I have to tell you that the whole 'like father, like son' stereotype really makes sense." Ford adjusted his hat. "Did you know that your father almost became an archeologist?"

"Yes. Papa Jean-Luc told me he had to make a choice when he was younger, and he chose Starfleet."

"Would you make the same choice?" Ford asked.

Laurent thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No, I don't think so." He looked at the vase and began to brush it gently again. "This is much better than being on a starship."

Ford smiled. "What do you like so much about it?"

"I like to imagine who this vase belonged to once. What the person who made it was thinking about. Or what their life was like."

"These are exactly the initial thoughts an archeologist would have," Ford remarked - and then an idea struck him. "Say, Laurent... my students and I do a lot of field work on weekends, and we could always use an extra hand. Why don't you come by some day?"

Laurent stopped his work again and stared at Ford. " _Me_...?"

"Yes, why not? I can see that you're very interested in this whole thing, a lot more than your classmates seem to be."

"I would love to visit," Laurent said excitedly - and then his face darkened again. "But... I'm not sure if my parents will allow it."

"Don't worry about that. Just tell your Papa Jean-Luc to contact me as soon as he has the time. He knows who I am."

 

**********

 

"Hello, Aunt Marie."

" _Laurent!_ " the older woman exclaimed and leaned forward in order to have a better look. " _How nice of you to call! How are you? Is everything going well in school?_ "

"Yes, all good," Laurent said and leaned forward himself - the rather old-fashioned communications console his aunt was using only allowed for a small window on his already tiny Vulcan computer console. "We had an English exam last week. I got an A."

" _That's wonderful! How's it going with math?_ "

Laurent made a face.

" _Alright, I won't ask any further,_ " Marie smiled and then glanced at the details on her screen. " _You're not calling from home...?_ "

"I'm staying at Sarok's house for a few days. Papa Jean-Luc and Papa Alex are on a diplomatic first contact mission."

" _Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. They couldn't take you with them...?_ "

"No - I'd have missed an important project week in school."

" _I see._ " Marie leaned back slightly. " _Is there a particular reason for your call?_ "

"Yes, umm... I have a question."

" _Sure! You know you can ask me anything._ "

Laurent took a deep breath. "Aunt Marie... do you know who my mother is?"

She froze. " _Why... why do you ask?_ "

"I just want to know. I do have a mother, don't I?"

Marie ran her hand through her short white hair. " _Laurent, this is really a subject that you should discuss with your fathers..._ "

"I don't _want_ to discuss it with them," Laurent said stubbornly. "They won't tell me anything anyway."

" _Now really, your fathers have always been th-_ "

"They didn't tell me about Wolf 359," Laurent interrupted.

" _That's because the Borg are a very delicate subject, especially for your Papa Jean-Luc._ "

"I know, but that doesn't mean it's right not to tell me about what happened at Wolf 359 at all," Laurent shot back.

Marie shook her head. " _You're being rather unfair right now._ "

Laurent clenched his hands into fists. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I... I just want to know who my mother is."

" _It's not my place to tell you,_ " Marie replied softly. " _But I **can** tell you that your fathers **will** answer if you ask them. They have prepared themselves for this question. They knew it would come one day._ "

"Grandma said the same thing to me earlier."

" _You spoke to her, too?_ "

"I did, but she refused to tell me anything."

" _Laurent, we're not doing this to anger you. We simply agreed with your fathers that, if you should ever ask us this question, we would refer you back to them so that they can explain. They know the entire story, and they know it much better than your grandmother or I ever could._ "

Laurent ran his hand across his face but said nothing.

Marie leaned forward again. " _Just ask them. I promise they'll answer._ "

"Okay..."

" _Once you do have the answer feel free to call me anytime, alright?_ "

Laurent sighed deeply. "Thanks, Aunt Marie."


	4. Chapter 4

Alex put his feet on the couch table, closed his eyes and yawned - the past week had been rather exhausting and he still had a hard time re-adjusting to Vulcan's time zone.

_'I should have done the same thing Jean-Luc did: Go to bed.'_

"Papa Alex?"

He opened his eyes and found himself looking at Laurent.

_'So much for going to bed.'_

"What is it, son?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Alex took his feet off the couch table and pointed at the armchair next to the couch. "Sit down."

Laurent did so - and then fell silent while he began to fidget with his fingers.

"Are you okay? You seem rather nervous."

"I... I wanted to ask you something. I wanted to ask Papa Jean-Luc, but... but... I just can't." Laurent took a deep breath. "Papa Alex... who is my mother?"

Alex stared at his son, his mind reeling. This was it - the question Jean-Luc and he had talked about many, many times, fully aware it would come one day, but always assuming they would both be there to answer it.

Now, however, it was just Alex, a bartender who was better at listening than talking.

_'Perfect. Not.'_

"You don't want to tell me," Laurent concluded, eyeing his father carefully.

"Just give me a second to find the right words, okay?" Alex ran his hand through his gray hair. "Alright, how do I put this... umm... _I'm_ your mother. And... your Papa Jean-Luc is your mother, too."

Laurent gaped at him. "What?"

"I know this sounds strange, but it _is_ what Dr. Pulaski concluded from the test results back then. Papa Jean-Luc and I are your fathers, but we are also your mothers. We simply decided to go with 'father' because it made things a little easier, and it also allowed us to navigate a little more smoothly through a few... issues."

"What issues?" Laurent pressed.

"We had to fight for you when you were little."

"Why?"

"You had to be made a Federation citizen first. You didn't exactly fall into any of the pre-existing categories that define the term."

Laurent frowned. "Then what category _did_ I fall into? Where do I come from? You just said I'm your son."

"Yes, but... oh, hell." Alex rubbed his hands together. "You know who Q is, right?"

"That annoying guy who randomly shows up and always says he's my uncle?"

"That sums him up somewhat, yes." Alex leaned forward. "There's a reason for his interest in you."

"What reason?"

"Well, he... he created you."

"He _created_ me?" Laurent echoed. "You mean... in a lab?"

"I'm sure it wasn't quite like that," Alex said quickly. "Maybe I used the wrong word here... what I'm trying to say is that he brought you into existence. He _does_ have the power to do something like that."

"How did I end up with you then?"

"He placed Baby You on your Papa Jean-Luc's and my doorstep on the day we got married. That's why your birthday is on the same day as our wedding anniversary, by the way."

"Why did he create me?" Laurent asked.

"He felt it was a good way to thank your Papa Jean-Luc for saving him from eons in prison once, and I guess our wedding seemed like the perfect opportunity t-"

"You mean I'm nothing more than a _wedding gift_?" Laurent interrupted, anger creeping into his voice.

"To Q, maybe, but to _us_ you are much more," Alex countered. "You're our son, legally and biologically, and we love y-"

"I doubt Papa Jean-Luc thought that way," Laurent blurted out. "He can't stand that Q guy, he would never accept _anything_ from him!"

"He was hesitant at first, yes, but -"

"He never wanted me!" Laurent exclaimed and jumped out of the armchair.

"Now _that_ 's just bullshit!" Alex shot back, feeling his own temper rising.

Laurent glared at him but was still wise enough to not say anything else - his younger father's anger could be fierce once awakened, and it was not something he cared to experience.

Alex ran his hands through his hair again and then stood up slowly. "Laurent, I don't want to argue with you, but you won't leave me a choice if you continue to interrupt me like this. I may not be your Papa Jean-Luc when it comes to having a way with words, but really, you can still respect me enough to let me finish my sentences, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry," Laurent muttered.

Alex sighed. "It's okay, I know this is all very difficult, and not just for you." He closed his eyes, rubbed them briefly and then opened them again. "You know, in a way your Papa Jean-Luc actually had the same problem you are having right now - he also couldn't wrap his head around the idea of a living, breathing human being as a wedding gift. He didn't have a problem with _you_ , though - he had a problem with the _ethical implications_ behind you. Big difference."

Laurent said nothing, but the hurt and confusion on his face was more than Alex could bear.

_'Holy shit, what have I done to him?'_

He slowly but carefully walked up to his son and put his hand on his shoulder and, much to his relief, the boy did not flinch. "You're our son, Laurent. We love you. And if you must know... your Papa Jean-Luc overcame his initial reluctance very quickly. In fact, he almost sacrificed his career for you when we had to fight for you."

Laurent looked up. "He did? What happened?"

"It's a long story - the short version is that a few Starfleet admirals were in the mood for a conspiracy and tried to use you to get him to resign his commission. We got through it, but it didn't look good for quite a while."

"I didn't know." Laurent looked down and then back at his father. "Why did you never tell me?"

Alex gently squeezed his shoulder. "Because you were too young to understand all of this, and I'm not sure you're old enough _now_ , but your Papa Jean-Luc and I agreed a long time ago that, whenever the time came when you asked us about your origins for the first time, we _would_ answer truthfully."

Laurent bit his lower lip and looked away again. "I... I would like to go to my room now."

Alex took his hand off his son's shoulder. "Sure. I understand. If you need me, I'll be right here."

Laurent nodded, then slowly turned around and walked into his room without looking back.

Alex sank onto the couch, even more exhausted than he had been before the conversation.

_'Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.'_


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you certain he's still in his room?" Picard asked and looked at the closed door at the back of the living room.

Alex took a sip from his mint tea. "I took a tricorder scan earlier. He's in there alright."

"Should we knock? I know it's the weekend and we always let him sleep in, but these _are_ unusual circumstances..."

"I don't think that would be a good idea. He made it quite clear last night that he wanted to be alone."

Picard sighed and put down the knife with which he had just put butter on his croissant. "This situation is _very_ unnerving."

"Tell me about it - _you_ weren't the one who got grilled last night."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"I doubt he'd have asked if you'd been there."

"My own son doesn't trust me," Picard muttered. "Wonderful."

"He normally does, but I think the whole Wolf 359 argument you two had about not telling him things is still bothering him."

"I know I should have tol-"

The door to Laurent's room opened and the boy walked out, dressed in his pajamas.

Silence.

"Morning," Alex said cautiously.

"Morning." Laurent looked at him. "Papa Alex... I... I didn't mean to behave like I did last night. I'm sorry. I was angry."

Alex smiled slightly. "I understand. It's partly my fault, too - I really hit you with a verbal sledgehammer."

"I asked," Laurent said matter-of-factly. "Sarok always says 'if you ask a possibly unpleasant question it is logical to expect a possibly unpleasant answer'."

"So you think the answer you got was unpleasant?" Picard chimed in, unable to hold himself back.

Laurent shrugged helplessly. "I'm... I'm not sure..."

"That's fine, actually," Alex remarked. "This is not something that can be dealt with in a few hours - you need time to think about it. We won't push you, but if you have more questions, please feel free ask them, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now - are you hungry? We replicated your favorite croissants."

"The chocolate ones?"

"Yup." Alex smiled. "Come on, sit down."

The boy looked at the croissant basket on the table, then back at his parents - and then he began to slowly walk towards them.


End file.
